And we go back one more decade; it’s time to choose the best movies of the 1940s, the one that saw the Great War last half of its years, Europe torn apart e the USA growing more and more powerful as the decade approached its end. A time of contrast between optimist works, filled with hope of a better future, and others showing the ugly scars left behind by the conflict that shook the planet. Many believe that art thrives in chaos, ambiguity and despair. The 1940s support that belief.

Getting to the final version of the list was difficult. The first four movies stood out in a relatively natural way, but from them on it was a tough dispute. So much so that, by the end, I had eight movies which came close but ultimately didn’t find room on the ranking. The level of quality of the directors involved is remarkable: with the exceptions of Michael Curtiz and Marcel Carnè, who never even came close to repeating their success on the movies selected, all the others have careers to be envied. The people involved in the creation of Fantasia are also responsible for directing or co-directing pretty much all the old Disney classics. Besides, two of my favorite directors of all time come up strong: Hitchcock, starting to show the world the genius that would become a reference from the 1950s on; and Frank Capra, establishing himself as one of the great masters of the seventh art. I also consider a trademark of this decade how the Italian cinema emerged powerfully, with films which explore the worst aspects of the country’s situation at the time. Besides Bicycle Thieves and Rome, Open City among the twenty, Paisan – also by Rossellini – was in the “almost” list.